In July 2011, I wrote "Exclusive: U.S. Air Force Could Have Used Spy Shuttles to Monitor Bin Laden" in which I discuss how both spy satellites and the X-37B autonomous space plane, a top secret U.S. Air Force design, could have been used to spy on the world's most infamous terrorist Osama Bin Laden. The Boeing Comp. (BA) launched in April 2010 and flew in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), before successfully reentering the atmosphere and landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in November 2010.

I first became aware that the U.S. might have used the X-37B -- which was equipped with powerful imaging hardware -- to spy on Bin Laden from space via amateur astronomer tracking data from Heavens Above. At the time I revealed:

Amateur astronomers observed the orbiter following variable paths that took it between 40 north and 40 south degrees of latitude, a swath that includes Pakistan. Specifically, between September and October, observations logged on the site Heavens Above ... [show that the craft's] orbit crossed over Pakistan, though there was a gap in observations, making it hard to definitively say.

The memos show that without a doubt U.S. orbiters intercepted communications from and snapped pictures of the Bin Laden compound from the safety of space. THe Washington Post describes:

The U.S. commando raid that killed Osama bin Laden was guided from space by a fleet of satellites, which aimed dozens of receivers over Pakistan to collect a torrent of electronic and signals intelligence as the mission unfolded, according to a top-secret U.S. intelligence document.

The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) used their ubiquitous phone tracking to hunt down connections made by al Qaeda operatives, eventually tracing calls to the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where bin Laden was hiding. Once they got that info, the space surveillance teams took over snapping over 387 "collects" infrared and high-resolution images of the Bin Laden compound. The CIA in documents writes that these images were "critical to prepare for the mission and contributed to the decision to approve execution."

One of the satellite images of the bin Laden compound [Image Source: Getty Images]

In addition to space spying, the team used "implants" -- possibly malware implanted into terrorists' phones at a hardware, software, or firmware level -- to tap into al Qaeda operatives conversations in the region, leading to the capture of 30+ low-to-mid level officers.

Osama bin Laden was killed on May 1, 2011. [Image Source: The Long War Journal]

Intelligence also played a key role in the aftermath of bin Laden's death. The documents reveal over $2.5M USD was spent to analyze the computer files and other electronics seized from the bin Laden compound -- files which were ultimately found to include a hoard of porn, according to leaks.

quote: I first became aware that the U.S. might have used the X-37B -- which was equipped with powerful imaging hardware -- to spy on Bin Laden from space via amateur astronomer tracking data from Heavens Above.

"Became aware of"...? As in, "became aware of something and tried to tie it to something else without the slightest shred of proof". Oh but wait, here's the confirmation:

quote: While it still cannot be determined whether the camera equipped X-37B or one of the camera-equipped spy satellites...

You revealed?? As in, you yourself collected this information first-hand and "revealed" it to the world?

quote: one key pillar of my story has been definitively confirmed via this week's release of the Edward Snowden-leaked "Black Budget" memos, which detail intelligence spending and operations.

Umm where does it say that, Jason? Specifically, where does Snowdon say that

quote: U.S. orbiters intercepted communications from and snapped pictures of the Bin Laden compound from the safety of space?

I'm still waiting to read where Snowdon says the X-37 "orbiters" spied on Bin Laden.

Good grief! You are one of the most self-aggrandizing hacks I have ever seen. You post a story that you pulled literally out of your a**, then later on you imply that it was accurate while admitting there is no proof whatsoever of its legitimacy, and then - best of all - you try and take credit for it!!!

The satellite fleet aimed dozens of receivers over Pakistan to collect a flood of encrypted communications intelligence, including a cellphone tracked by the National Security Agency and then linked by the CIA to the Abbottabad, Pakistan, compound where bin Laden was hiding, The Washington Post reported, citing a document provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden

The "satellite fleet" monitored RF communications in many forms. The "satellite fleet" does not take high resolution, real-time, continuous, motion imagery. This has been known for quite some time (even before the Post reported anything.

If you want to take very high resolution, real-time, continuous, motion imagery today, you do it from the air, not space.

(a) They don't declare the Author on the main page; if they did, I'd be in the group that would infrequently open his posts.

(b) If the Topic is interesting enough, I'll skim his post. His unjustified vitriol usually aborts that skimming.

I've twice been surprised, and a touch worried, that an article of his has seemed to the point, free of rancor and agrees with my take. Those are worrisome moments, but his next article hastens my recovery.

Yes, most of the DT authors seem more interested in Page Hits than good journalism. I really need to find enough other sites such that DT drops out of my viewing, but I'm lazy enough to link over from Anandtech which has higher standards.

They've been able to take pictures of a grapefruit sitting on the ground--from space--for years (possibly decades). There's no hiding from satellites if you're anywhere near the open. And Al Qaeda isn't sophisticated enough to create a Potemkin village to thwart such ISR monitoring.

I am actually less interested in the fact that they took pictures of the house he was in from space, and more interested to know how they were able to know exactly what the inside layout looked like. They actually built an entire replica of the house that the seals trained on before the mission. So either they somehow got the building plans, or whatever they are using from space was able to get enough data to reproduce the internal structure of the building. They knocked it down after the raid.

I'll admit, I didn't read the whole article. After skimming it, I'm calling BS. The imaging was done by a modified version of the U2 equiped with 3D imaging capabilites. It flies in the upper stratosphere. To quote the pilot" The only people flying higher than us on the the ISS."

And, most optical (some almost as large as Hubble) and electronic intelligence-gathering satellites (with large unfurled antennas, once on orbit) don't have to return physical stuff to Earth, and are bigger than X-37...

RICE: First of all, yes, the August 6th PDB was in response to questions of the president -- and that since he asked that this be done. It was not a particular threat report.

RICE: I remember very well that the president was aware that there were issues inside the United States. He talked to people about this. But I don't remember the Al Qaida cells as being something that we were told we needed to do something about.

BEN-VENISTE: Isn't it a fact, Dr. Rice, that the August 6th PDB warned against possible attacks in this country? And I ask you whether you recall the title of that PDB?

RICE: I believe the title was, Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States.

You got the CIA and the FBI right in the article, show some respect for one of the US military's most elite forces: it's the US Navy SEALs. It stands for (SE)a, (A)ir, and (L)and and emphasizes this Special Forces unit's capability to strike from anywhere at any time. It takes about two years to earn a SEAL Trident; you could take the two seconds to get capitalization correct.